The Collection

The Hunt Collection

The Hunt Museum houses a diverse collection of antiquities and fine and decorative art. It reflects the tastes and interests of the two people who formed it, John and Gertrude Hunt.

There are artefacts from Greece, Rome, Egypt and the Olmec civilisation. There is also an important collection of Irish Pre-historic archaeological material ranging from Mesolithic through to the Iron Age which includes a significant selection of Bronze Age items, most notably a Bronze Age shield and cauldron. Early Christian objects include a collection of monastic bells as well as the unique 9th century Antrim Cross. One of the strengths of the collection is the Irish and European medieval material, which includes statues in stone and wood, painted panels, jewellery, enamels, ivories, ceramics, crystal and crucifixes. 18th and 19th century decorative arts are also represented with fine examples of silver, glass and ceramics. Artists’ works in the collection include Pablo Picasso, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Roderic O’Conor, Jack B. Yeats, Robert Fagan and Henry Moore.